A restriction on the number of times a student could take up the Advanced Level examination and a new entrance test for the University, are among the major changes to be announced soon, an official said.
Prof. Lakshman Jayatilaka, Chairman of the National Education Commission said these major changes in the education system would be announced within the next few days.
He said the Education Department had been discussing a series of suggestions during the past few weeks in relation to the AL exam and university entrance and other issues concerning students, teachers and subjects.
"The Sunday Times" learns that among the changes, is a limitation on the number of times a student is allowed to sit the A/L exam from school. The number of attempts is to be limited to two from the present three. The changes will also increase the basic qualifying marks from 180 to 200 in any district. To enter the university, students will have to face an entrance exam, even after attaining the necessary marks.
A cross section of principals, teachers and students interviewed by The Sunday Times expressed mixed reactions about the changes.
Ananda College Principal P.B. Damunupola said, "There were two ways of entering universities some time back, direct and indirect. The direct method was by attaining a high score at the A/L's, the indirect method was through an interview, for students who were unable to get a high score. That was a healthy way of choosing candidates for the university, but there is no reason to increase the qualifying mark".
Sirimavo Balika Maha Vidyalaya Principal R.M.L. Jayasekara said the A/L exam was the minimum qualification accepted today and by increasing the qualifying mark the students who do not wish to enter the university but only to qualify in order to find a job, will face a difficult situation. "Then there should be a programme to support those students", she said.
Jathika Adyapana Sevaka Sangamaya President and teacher, Premasiri Samaratunga said, "the system of having an entrance exam didn't work because certain universities held separate exams for students seeking entrance to them. If the Education Department intends to introduce something similar, it is difficult to understand how the department will decide on examination fees and defray other expenses. At present there are about 300 exams held per year and the Examination Department has been unable to meet the expenses there. Hence the National Education Commission and other departments have had to bear the expenses. In the circumstances the question arises as to how expenses for another exam could be met."
He said many of the students who enter universities, are those who have taken the exam more than twice and a reduction in the number would frustrate them.
Maharagama Janadhipathi Vidyalaya teacher, Uditha Yapa, herself a parent, thinks the qualifying marks increase isn't unfair since present system does not favour the talented students. "Students from all over come to the same tuition class but at the exam, students from schools out of Colombo, not even rural areas, enter universities with lesser marks for better courses, so I feel this new system will prove to be more fair, competitive and would provide an equal chance for all students.
Many of the schools in the Colombo suburbs with less facilities than most rural schools qualify for entrance whereas the students from Colombo, have to get a high aggregate, Ms. Yapa added. Students and parents alike feel that students should be entitled to sit the exam any number of times. Silumini De Silva of Anula Vidyalaya said it would be unfair by the students to make them sit another exam.
While Shafral Hameed of Wesley College, thinks it is not unfair to limit the number of sittings for it doesn't alter the present system drastically.
Wathsala Chandrasekara of Visaka Vidyalaya said, "Students really work hard for the A/L's. If more students enter the universities the number of unemployed would rise. So it's better to limit the number of students entering universities rather than having a great number of educated but unemployed and frustrated people".
Niroshi Weligamage also a student of Visaka Vidyalaya said, "It's good to have a qualifying exam for those entering universities because there are many whom I know, who get their examination results corrected the way they want, so another exam would mean that only the qualified students will get through, besides, the new system might prove to be better than the existing one".
Madara Mapitigama of Ladies College said the change in the present system is unfair for the previous batches have enjoyed sitting for the exam thrice and without much trouble except that they had to wait for about two years to be admitted.
Chamath Madanayaka of Royal College said, "This will result in the exam becoming more competitive and free education means that they should not limit the number of times the student is allowed to sit. Students realize their mistakes and lose the exam fear only by the second shy, so first shy is only to gain experience of the exam."
However, according to the Commissioner of Exams N. Gunarathna, at present only one tenth of the thousands of students who sit the A/L exam finally enter the university. Thus, statistics show that majority of the students prefer not to enter universities due to various reasons and the new system yet to be introduced, might lessen the one tenth to a lower probability.
The bodies of nine Sri Lankans who died in the Ethiopian airliner which crashed in the Commoro Islands on November 24 were handed over to their families recently.
According to Director Consular Affairs Ranjith Uyangoda of the Foreign Ministry, the last of the bodies was handed over on Dec. 25.
The victims were Ms. A. Thangavelu (Kotahena), T. Kanagaratnam (Kotahena), Miss. S. Paramalingam (Vavuniya), Miss. I. Nalanathan (Chilaw), C. Sellathambi (Mutuwal), P. Seenivasan and Mrs. A. Seenivasan (Kollupitiya), S. Balakrishnan (Wellawatte) and Miss. C. Kandiah (Mutuwal).
The Czech Republic which manufactures pins to airplanes wants to start joint ventures in Sri Lanka, according to Dr. Odolen Smekal, the Czech Ambassador-designate to New Delhi, Nepal, the Maldives, and Bangladesh.
The Republic has already started many joint ventures in India and was looking forward to set up joint ventures in Sri Lanka where it has an honorary consulate.
The Czech Republic is the biggest supplier of off-set machines to India and plans to manufacture its Skoda vehicles in India. They expect to make 40,000 cars a year, he said. Cut glass industry is another that the Czech's have started in India.
Dr. Smekal said Germany was the biggest investors in Czechoslovakia and the Skoda they mandssaufacture is a joint venture with Volkswagen.
"We have appointed Jayantha Fernando as Honorary Consul in Colombo for the Czech Republic and given all the authority to get cracking with not only promoting joint ventures but also to look into trade, culture, tourism and other aspects where both countries could benefit."
Though the Republic has a population of 10.5 million and an area of 78,684 sq. miles it had attracted 90 million tourists last year, Dr. Smekal said.
On the economy, he said a market economy prevails throughout the country which draw upon five basic measures: Liberalisation of prices and foreign trade, internal convertibility of the currency, privatisation programmes, restrictive monetary and financial policy of the State and Tax Reform.
A significant feature of their privatisation programme is that Czech nationals are given the benefit of owning the privatised ventures. Czech proprietors of various ventures were given the opportunity to buy back ventures after it became a Republic in 1993. Over 90 percent of the economy has now been privatised. Some of the country's major industries are the glass-industry, brewing, manufacture of trucks and tractors, cars and buses, planes, motorcycles and textile machinery.
Direct foreign investment is nearly USD 2500 million. The Republic is attractive to foreign investors due to the government's liberal economic policy.
Several inexpensive, widely used medicines are not freely available in the market excepting for restricted sales at state owned pharmacies, patients say.
Anti-depressants and anti- psychotic tranquilizer pills which were at one time freely available at pharmacies for very low costs, are not being circulated throughout the country and patients have complained that they had to travel to Colombo to buy them at state owned Osusala outlets.
Pharmacies both at Colombo and in the outstations confirmed the severe shortage of these two categories of medicines, and said they were waiting till the Osusala releases the drugs for them.
A patient said that Imipramine which costs only 20 cts, is no more available at pharmacies "Chlorpromazine and Largactil are some of the other drugs which are not available at pharmacies," he said.
According to patients certain pharmacies sell these medicines in different packing for expensive amounts, which otherwise would have cost half the price.
Some even complained to "The Sunday Times" that these varieties of medicines are largely pilfered from government pharmacies located inside hospitals.
Some 7,000 railway bamboo-gatekeepers have been discontinued as they were not doing their work properly with most of them often found to be asleep or drunk, Transport Minister Srimani Athulathmudali said.
She said these workers did not come under the railway but their wages were paid by the Janasaviya. Thus the Samurdhi movement, which has taken over from the Janasaviya would have to decide on what to do about the bamboo-gatekeepers whose work was so poor that it had led to several train tragedies recently.
These workers recruited during the Premadasa administration will be paid a token Rs. 1,000 a month till a decision is taken, the minister added.
Police warn the public to avoid the Galle Face Green on December 31 night for reasons of security.
The Colombo Traffic Police and all police stations in Colombo will keep vigil on city roads on the eve and the dawn of the New Year.
Parking of vehicles along Galle Face Centre Road from AirLanka Advertising Board to Baladaksha Mawatha will be prohibited. Chaitya Road also will be closed for normal traffic for security reasons.
Under a special plan drawn by D.I.G. Colombo Range D.M.P. B. Dissanayake, an additional fleet of police cars and jeeps will be deployed to patrol city roads to enhance safety and security.
Kandy Rate-Payers Association (KRPA) has appealed to all political parties not to nominate corrupt politicians for the forthcoming local government elections for the Kandy Municipal Council, a top official said.
KRPA President Jayaratna Maliyagoda warned that if their appeal was not heeded they would submit a list of independent candidates to contest the poll.
In letters sent to party leaders, the KRPA has asked them to demonstrate to the public their commitment to good governance, anti-corruption, non abuse of power and transparency.
The KRPA has pointed out observation made by the Madawela Commission appointed by the Central Province Chief Minister, which has found Kandy Mayor D.E. Pathirana guilty of 19 charges out of 23 made against him, to back its appeal.
The commission report observed that except for a few councillors, most of them have misused their positions and abused their power and that such people are not fit to hold public office, Mr. Maliyagoda had pointed out.
The Mayor and these councillors are still holding their offices in the Kandy Municipal Council and the Chief Minister has not taken steps to remove them from office, Mr. Maliyagoda has lamented in his letter.
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